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December 30, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Due to the holidays, there will be no Update this week.

May God’s peace be with you.


Prayer Requests and Updates

Please join us in earnest prayer for Joanne and Pastor Lloyd Barrie of Kalispell, Montana. After what was expected to be a routine gallstone surgery, Joanne was diagnosed with stage four gall bladder cancer which has spread to the colon and liver.

Lloyd wrote, “Removal of the gall bladder was not an option due to the difficulty and length of the procedure and the limited benefit. They performed gastric bypass surgery and Joanne is recovering well from the procedure. She will possibly be out of the hospital on January 2. Apart from miraculous healing, there are no good long term outcomes with this cancer. Joanne will be consulting an oncologist after she is released and will start chemotherapy in three to four weeks. We feel Jesus holding us very tightly and we know His grace is sufficient in all trials. Please keep Joanne, myself, our family and our church family in your prayers.”

Cards may be sent to:

Lloyd and Joanne Barrie
503 2nd Ave E
Kalispell, MT 59901-4903

Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach


December 23, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May God grant you a blessed and merry Christmas as you celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God!

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During the holiday period, Grace Communion International administrative offices will be closed December 24 – 31. Offices will officially reopen at 8:00 a.m. PST on Monday, January 4, 2010.


Training Seminar

The Southern California districts hosted a Ministry Development Training conference with Dan Rogers, US Superintendent of Ministers, at Community Life Fellowship in Altadena, California, on December 5. District Pastoral Leaders Eric Shaw, Bermie Dizon and Glen Weber invited elders and ministry leaders as well as interested members to participate in this three-District event.

Dan Rogers gave an overview of Christian ethics from a Trinitarian theological perspective in the morning. The focus was about understanding the moral principles revealed in the Incarnation of Jesus and how to apply the principles in everyday life decisions. In the afternoon Dr. Rogers gave a workshop titled Into the Bible for Maximum Impact and Fun and encouraged the study of Scripture in interesting new ways. We ended the afternoon with everyone breaking into small group discussions on selected scriptures.

The attendees enjoyed the fellowship and mealtime with those from other Southern California congregations. Many commented that they enjoyed the inspirational study and the time reconnecting with friends from other congregations. That evening at the Community Life Fellowship worship service, Dr. Rogers continued the day’s learning experience with a sermon titled: “It’s Not What You Have, It’s Who Has You” based on Luke 9:1-6 and 10-17.


Africa

From Gary Moore:

Wendy got a note this morning from Candida Millar, wife of the lay pastor of the Johannesburg Central congregation. Candida has three small children and gifts and passion for ministry to young people. She directs a VBS program which runs for several days at the youth summer camp (which is going on this week; remember, their summer is our winter). We were able to offer some help from our Africa Missions Fund to purchase supplies for the program (about $150 total), including a small gift for each child.

Here are excerpts from Candida’s note:

I wish you could have seen the children’s faces when they saw their presents from Canada. They were giddy with excitement. I gave them the stuff as they left so that their parents would be able to experience it with them… I’m so very humbled by your generous hearts for these little people. And let me tell you, it’s working! …Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Prayer Requests and Updates

I just talked with Peter Whitting and am delighted to report that he is now back home. His collapsed lung has been reversed and the physical therapy is going well. This week will be his first time in church for nearly three months. Peter and Charlotte thank all for their prayers.


National Director for Spain, Pedro Rufian, asked that we pray for the Madrid congregation’s outreach work. They seek especially to support senior citizens who are experiencing loneliness. He wrote, “Please pray for God to give us the courage and the faith to carry out the project. We know we are working in stony ground.”

Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach


December 16, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christian Odyssey editor and international publications advisor John Halford visited Chogait and Amporn Garmolgomut in Thailand last week. Here is his report:

Friday, December 4, I was privileged to represent our denomination at the formal opening of the Ambassador Bilingual School (ABS) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This is the latest, and most ambitious, of a chain of schools, kindergartens and language institutes established in Northern Thailand by Chogait and Amporn Garmolgomut.

Chogait is one of the few Thais to graduate from Ambassador College. After graduation, he returned to Thailand with a deep desire to serve his people, but no firm plans. About 20 years ago the late Herman Hoeh gave Chogait a check for $100 and suggested he and his wife start a school. The rest is history – but a remarkable history. (I told it in more detail in an article in the February-March 2009 issue of Christian Odyssey.) During the opening ceremony we named the school’s new library the Herman Hoeh Library and Educational Center.

ABS is a K-12 school, located in a refurbished office building that has been transformed into a bright, high-quality educational facility. Although not a Christian school per se, it is administered with Christian principles and values. As Chogait says, “I want to bring the best of what Ambassador gave me to my people, in a way they can understand and appreciate.”

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Thailand is a Buddhist country, and Christians only make up about 2 percent of the population. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of Western missionaries in and around Chiang Mai, but their impact on the Thai community has been almost negligible. Some have been here for years without making one convert. This is what makes Chogait and Amporn’s effort all the more remarkable.

“People here want to learn English because they see it as the key to success and prosperity,” explains Chogait. “But we know that there is more to success than just material prosperity. We know that the gospel is the answer to our people’s deepest fears and worries. So we try to show them that by the way we live and run our educational operations.”

Although they did not set out to start a church, Chogait and Amporn have a house church of around 100 meeting regularly. They have baptized about 160 people in the last two or three years, most of them native Thais.


Cincinnati, Ohio

From Pastor George Hart:

Christ Community Church of Cincinnati reached out to the community around its church hall the Sunday before Thanksgiving with Thanksgiving meals. The area is one of the lowest-income communities in the county, with many school-age children. The congregation collected food and cash donations to put together 100 meals. The meals included all the traditional Thanksgiving trimmings and a gift certificate for a turkey or ham at the local grocery. After a shortened service, the congregation pitched in to put the meals together and deliver them to the community. In the process we were able to meet many of our community neighbors. The spirit of “missions” was high as most of the congregation was involved in the process. After delivering the meals, we returned for a pizza dinner and shared our experiences in meeting our neighbors. Our original goal was 100 meals, but we collected so much we were able to donate over $300 worth of food supplies to a soup kitchen the congregation serves every month. Next year we are talking about a goal of 200 meals.

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Africa

Kalengule Kaoma reports that Edward and Janet Banda of Kitwe, Zambia, are planning a new church plant in February 2010. “Mr. Banda has a theology diploma with missions major and Janet is a prayer warrior,” Kalengule said.


2010 International Conference

We are pleased to announce that we now have a conference website. Information about the agenda, speakers, activities and other conference-related items will be posted to this website as the details are confirmed. Registration for pastors will begin January 11 and for elders and members on January 29. Check out www.2010.gci.org for the latest details.

Generations Ministry announces teen and young adult track

During the 2010 Grace Communion International conference, Generations Ministries will sponsor a conference within the conference for young adults and teens. In this special Generations Ministry Track, teens and young adults will be able to attend training sessions geared toward their areas of ministry. They will have an opportunity to participate in some Orlando activities and they will have a place to reconnect and hang out. Sessions and activities will run parallel to the conference dates, July 22-25. The conference registration fee for teens and young adults will be $20 which will help offset some of the costs for this special gathering. Save the dates and spread the word – details will be forthcoming.


Mexico Short-Term Mission Trip

From Debbie Minke:

The Vancouver, British Columbia, congregation’s teen group is very excited to be embarking on a short-term mission trip to Mexico March 6-16, 2010. Our mission is to be worthy representatives of Jesus Christ by assisting with underprivileged children at Guarderia Dios Provehera (God Will Provide) Christian daycare (www.victoryinjjdaycare.webs.com). Participants will be assisting with building projects for a Mexican pastor who is starting a church and doing community outreach in Ensenada with a local congregation. We have a few spots still available for interested teens. Please complete the attached application form and return it before January 15, 2010. Feel free to contact Debbie Minke for more information at (604) 532-3750 or dminke@telus.net. The application may also be downloaded from our national website at www.wcg.ca.


Prayer Request

Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach


December 9, 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Norma & Dennis Thibault
Norma & Dennis Thibault

Congratulations to Dennis and Norma Thibault, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in November! Dennis pastors the Castlegar, British Columbia, congregation.


Canada

From Gary Moore

After 40 years of service, Doug Smith let us know that he plans to retire at the end of August 2010. Doug was the first minister in Canada I trained under, and through the years I have learned many valuable things from both his words and example. Thank you for your prayers for Doug and Mique’s transition into retirement and for a new pastor to lead Cornerstone forward.


Newark, New Jersey

Youth Group dance symbolizing spiritual warfare
Youth Group dance symbolizing spiritual warfare

Tammy and I enjoyed celebrating with our brothers and sisters of the 24/7 Community Church in Newark, New Jersey, on their 10th anniversary. The congregation began with only 12 members and has steadily grown over the years, as you can see from the pictures. Having begun as a church plant, they now have visions of planting another congregation.

Church members there mentor young people at the Juvenile Detention Center and hold a church service there once a month. They also minister to a senior citizens center.

. . . . .


Africa

From Kalengule Kaoma:

In the second quarter of 2009, I received a letter from Christopher Balidin in Ghana. Since I had already planned a visit to Ghana for August 22 to September 4, I invited him to meet with me in Accra.

. .

On September 3, we met with a sizeable group in Christopher Balidin’s house. The group was looking for spiritual oversight from GCI. During discussions, we found out that the group has many physical needs as well. Emmanuel Okai and I discussed possible ways of helping the group both spiritually and physically. Since then, Emmanuel has visited them five times.

. .

For regular and ongoing visits, Emmanuel has assigned a deaconess and her family who live near Buduburam Refugee Camp.


2010 International Conference

We are pleased to announce that we now have a conference website. Information about the agenda, speakers, activities and other conference-related items will be posted to this website as the details are confirmed. Registration for pastors will begin January 11 and for elders and members on January 29. Check out www.2010.gci.org for the latest details.

Generations Ministry announces teen and young adult track

During the 2010 Grace Communion International conference, Generations Ministries will sponsor a conference within the conference for young adults and teens. In this special Generations Ministry Track, teens and young adults will be able to attend training sessions geared toward their areas of ministry. They will have an opportunity to participate in some Orlando activities and they will have a place to reconnect and hang out. Sessions and activities will run parallel to the conference dates, July 22-25. The conference registration fee for teens and young adults will be $20 which will help offset some of the costs for this special gathering. Save the dates and spread the word – details will be forthcoming.


Prayer Requests and Updates

Felix and Melba Johnson

Felix and Melba want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement. Felix’s follow-up appointment for his bladder procedure was very good. The doctor told them to go out and celebrate. Also, Melba’s colonoscopy test results showed no sign of cancer.


Torvieg Aas
From Carl Frederick Aas:

My wife’s health is greatly improved these last three weeks, and especially the last week. Her improvement has been slow but steady. She is a teacher in a primary school and is still on sick leave. But today she visited the school and stayed the first two hours because the pupils wanted to talk with her. They had heard that she had been so sick. I think that she will be back to work at school within a week or two.

Both my wife and I would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has called, sent emails, sent cards and letters. God is merciful. God is good. God is almighty. Let his name be praised!

I am now starting to catch up on work that has been put aside the last few weeks. I will start to travel again. Last weekend I was away from home one night, the first time since my wife’s sickness. My next and last trip this year will be to Stockholm on December 12.


Beth Holm
From Rand Holm:

Friday, December 4, I spent all day with Beth at UCLA Medical Hospital where she was admitted as an outpatient. The surgeries and radiation she had four years ago did not have the success we had hoped for. She had an angiogram of her brain and they took a six-frame-per-second look at it to see what is going on. I got her home around 7 p.m. About 9 p.m. she passed out because of low blood pressure.

It looks as though Beth is going to have major brain surgery again, probably early next year. She has quite a bit of complex lesion left in her brain. Some of it is high risk. The doctors will attempt to immobilize some of the aneurysms and fistulas. They have come to the conclusion that there isn’t much more to do than that. They hope to lower the risk of future strokes and intracranial bleeds by treating this small but higher risk area.

Beth is losing fine motor control in her left hand. They are not sure what is causing that. This is pretty distracting to both Beth and me. Thanks so much for your prayers for wisdom in what steps to take. We are supposed to hear their recommendations next week.

Cards may be sent to:
3200 Foothill Dr, Apt 3
Westlake Village, CA 91361-4949

Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach


December 2, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Neil Earle
Neil Earle

Please join me in extending hearty congratulations to Pastor Neil Earle. Neil was one of eight people to receive a Community Service Recognition Award at this year’s Duarte Mayor’s Thanksgiving Prayer Breakfast. Here is part of what was written in the program:

Neil Earle and Irwin Margiloff [curator of the Duarte Historical Museum] spent nearly a year researching, writing, and pictorializing the history of Duarte. The result of their efforts is the book Images of America: Duarte, a 127 page account of Duarte’s history from the time of Andres Duarte to the present.

Historian Neil Earle is a pastor and journalist for the Worldwide Church of God… Neil is also involved with DCTV Duarte Access where he volunteers his time and hosts the current events program, A Second Look, focusing on biblical archaeology, geography and other relevant subjects.

Good work, Neil!

Neil interviewed You’re Included host Mike Feazell twice on A Second Look a few years ago when Mike was a resident of the city of Duarte.


Haiti

Joseph Franklin
Joseph Franklin

Pastor Joseph Franklin wrote:

We had set an agreement for all our scattered members and their families to meet with us in Port-au-Prince on the last Saturday of every month. In this meeting we spend hours sharing news, discussing current teachings in the church, making plans in the mission field and sharing communion. For the last two months, numerous difficulties arose that prevented us from holding this event that is so vital for the local church. We were glad that at least Daniel Leconte could make it, in spite of the long distance between Port-de-Paix and Port-au-Prince, as well as the extremely bad roads that can make the trip so hard.

So in November I announced a mission trip to Saint Marc to visit Serges Jacques and his family, and if it was possible, to meet with others to offer them articles translated into French. I was delighted when Serges told me that 15 to 20 people in addition to his family would be present.

We set Wednesday, November 18 (which was a national holiday) as the day for the mission and set out. Of course, everyone was aware of the ever-present danger of kidnapping, and the national road to Cap-Haitian through Saint Marc is a proverbial “road from Jerusalem to Jericho” where one is not likely to meet a “Good Samaritan.”

Nevertheless, we did meet one, by the name of Eddy, when our rented car broke down. Here is the whole story:

On Tuesday morning, November 17, I called the gentleman who usually gave us taxi-service and offered him a reasonable fare to take us to Saint Marc, wait for us, and then take us back home. He was already booked, so he referred us to one of his partners, whose name was Tom.

Tom agreed that we would leave Port-au-Prince at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday so we could make it to the meeting at 9:00 a.m. It is a two-hour drive on a good road. At 6:00 a.m. that morning, I called to remind him to pick up my assistant, André Naval at home and then pick up Bely Ferdinand (the new academic director of our school) and me up at the church hall. Tom told me that he was sorry, but the car had a brake problem and he had to look for a better vehicle. So I canceled our agreement and set out to find a better vehicle myself, but not before I rushed to the computer and sent Mr. Fleming and Pastor David a short note asking them to pray for my effort. Praise our powerful Lord; the mission was a fruitful one!

At 7:00 a.m. we finally found a taxi driver who was willing to make the trip to Saint-Marc – and to go slowly because we were in a hurry. (Napoleon Bonaparte once told his driver, “De grace, do not drive so fast, because I am in a hurry!”).

We finally got out of the main city traffic at 8:00 a.m. We filled the tank and drove on carefully. I called Serges to let him know that we would be about an hour late. He said everyone would be patient. We passed three villages with no sign of any problem. Suddenly, at 9:30 a.m., in a bushy zone halfway between Arcahaie and Montrouis, the car broke down.

Montrouis is the last village before reaching Saint Marc. We all stepped out of the car. I called Serges to beg a bit more patience, and told us not to worry. Then a stranger appeared offering help. The driver panicked, but explained that we were broken down. The stranger, whose name was Eddy, asked where we were heading, and I told him we were visiting a family in our church who live in Camp Mary near Saint Marc.

He said, “Good people. I like to see that,” and then offered to call someone who knew a mechanic.

I asked him if he was a Christian, and he said he didn’t go to church.

I offered him a copy of the French version of Dr. Feazell’s article, “Getting Real” and Dr. Tkach’s article, “Crown of Thorns.” Eddy accepted them with joy and asked when we might have another meeting so he could come to it. He helped us find a Tap-Tap (a small pickup truck), and we finally made it to Serges’ home at 11:00 a.m., where 22 were still waiting patiently.

Some of Serges’ guests were Sunday school leaders and deacons in evangelical churches of the community. We spent two hours discussing the permanent humanity of Jesus and his representative role before God the Father on behalf of all humanity as well as questions about hell, judgment, conversion and so forth. But the main question I ask you to pray about is this one: “Pastor, when will you be back for another study like this?”

As the old baker’s proverb says, “We have bread dough on the bench.”


Canada

Gary & Wendy Moore
Gary & Wendy Moore

From National Director Gary Moore:

Summer is arriving in the southern hemisphere, which means the December summer camp program will commence soon in Zambia and South Africa. We will be providing assistance to both camps this year, which is greatly appreciated. The camp for Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi can only take place with our help, and this year the South African economy has been hard hit by the global recession, so our help is greatly appreciated there, too. We’ll provide $3000 to each camp. Half of the $6000 total is coming from the Red Deer, Alberta, church and the Crossfield, Alberta, small group church. The other half is coming from our African Missions Fund. The Africa Missions Fund is a fund that any member may contribute any amount to, regardless of how small. It will be included in their annual tax receipt along with their regular donations. This makes it possible for individual members to help with world mission in our fellowship directly, even if their local church budget cannot afford to help on a congregational basis. We don’t want this fund to compete with funds for the running of the church, but even an extra $5 or $10 can add up and make a big difference if a number of us get involved.

On a related note, the Toronto East and Vancouver congregations have donated $5500 to help with disaster relief in the Philippines in the wake of this fall’s typhoons and floods. Also, the Toronto East church has donated $2000 to support a major outreach by Hector Barrero (pastor of our Bogota church, and National Director for Colombia). Hector does a local radio program and will promote public marriage seminars that this funding will make possible. This was done earlier this year, and proved to be very successful, with several marriages and baptisms resulting.


Tanzania

From Kalengule Kaoma:

Kimani
Kimani

Thank you for your prayers and financial support for the visit to Musoma, Tanzania. God is wonderful in the way he reveals himself in spite of our weakness.

Kimani and I arrived in Musoma at 4:15 p.m. after a three-and-a- quarter hour bus trip. The flight from Dar es Salaam to Musoma was canceled. We were flown to Mwanza and then bussed to Musoma. Compare a plane fare to a bus ride! The same happened on our return trip. This is Amazing Africa. Initially there were no explanations and apologies given for the inconvenience. Later, we extracted some information from travel agents that the regular plane to Musoma was undergoing routine maintenance.

We attended morning and afternoon worship services on Saturday. Kimani delivered a morning sermon titled, “The History of Salvation,” which was about the Triune God. In the afternoon, I addressed the practicalities of the presence of Christ in a Christian’s marriage. Attendance was around 80, including a few children.

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Prayer Requests and Updates

Lateef Edalere

Longtime elder Lateef Edalere, who served many years in Nigeria and Jamaica, has been ill for some years following a series of mini-strokes. In October, Lateef suffered a major stroke resulting in him being partially paralyzed and without sight and speech. He is unable to swallow and is being fed through a tube. Your prayers are requested on his behalf for God’s intervention and his will at this very difficult time.

Cards may be sent to:
Lateef & Yvonne Edalere
29 Kiln Way
Badgers Dene
Grays, Essex RM17 5JE
UNITED KINGDOM


Glen McCutchan

Pastor Glen Weber wrote, “This is a bitter-sweet email to have to send, that our brother and elder in our congregation, Glen McCutchan, has passed away. Bitter because we will dearly miss him, but sweet because he is no longer in pain and has, in the apostle Paul’s words, gone to be ‘at home with the Lord.’”

Glen’s widow, Barbara, wrote, “Glen passed away at 7:05 this morning. I am waiting for Hospice personnel to come to sign the death certificate and then they will call the funeral home. Karen and grandson Jason arrived last night and are here with me. We are all doing okay, just glad that Glen is no longer in pain. This past week has been a long one for us.”

Cards may be sent to:
Barbara McCutchan
196 South Greenwood Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91107

Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach